Betty Sutton Used Our Tax Dollars to Print and Mail Campaign Literature

All members of Congress benefit from what is known as a “franking” privilege, a chance to reach constituents without paying postage or fees.  Here is a comparison of spending from three area representatives for the year 2009.

According to Kim Wendel of WKYC, the total cost on the look-at-me mailings Sutton sent to residents of OH-13 had a final price tag of $143,036. We heard nothing from the congresswoman all year,  then,  just as we entered primary season, Sutton saw a need to reach out and..

“communicate with residents throughout the 13th District.” – Sutton

Just a little something to think about as you head off to the polls.

The 13th District Candidates’ Forum, hosted by the Brunswick Community, included Democrat Justin Wooden; and Republicans James Brihan, Bill Haney, Jim Hrubik, Jason Meade and Todd Sharkey.  By most accounts the event was a success and a credit to the efforts of the Brunswick community.

“The moderators were great. I liked that they let the candidates ask each other questions. This kept it from being one big hug-fest with everyone agreeing on everything,” P. Bolyard – via meetup.com

Where was Betty Sutton that night?  Absent as usual.  Being absent from the district is nothing new…

LaPrensaToledo.com April 14, 2010

“Democrats Betty Sutton: Speaking on her behalf was Liz Walters, field representative, as Sutton did not attend the forum because she was needed in Washington, D.C. Incumbent Sutton is serving…“

This time, this story has a little twist. It started behind the scenes on the morning of April 21.

In an email sent to Brunswick Mayor Gary Werner, Jason Fink, Sutton’s Scheduler, announced that Congresswoman Sutton was unavailable and would be sending a proxy, Liz Walters, to read a prepared statement during the event.

In response to his email, Fink was told that the event was “a candidates’ forum, not a surrogates’ forum,” and organizers would not allow candidate representatives to read prepared statements during the event.   Fink was also told that changing the forum’s format would be unfair to the participating candidates.

This response hit a nerve with Sutton’s staff, because a very short time later, aggressive phone calls were placed from Washington to Mayor Werner and Vice Mayor Patrick.  In one call, Sutton’s Chief of Staff, Nichole Reynolds, said that she was upset with the forum policy and felt that the Mayor had not properly considered Sutton’s schedule when planning the event.

This is a good time to point out that planners of the event had contacted Sutton’s office not one, but twice, in the previous two months.  Each time, they invited the congresswoman to participate in the forum.  There was no response from Sutton’s office until the day of the event.

In a follow-up email, Nichole wrote: “We regret that you will not permit this [proxy speaker] to take place and allow the people to at least hear from their representative.”

That evening, one of Sutton’s representatives, who was in attendance, complained that Brunswick had made last minute changes concerning the use of surrogates.  He went on to insinuate that the Mayor had poorly planned the event’s timing.

To make such accusations against the host was in poor taste. Brunswick made every effort to include Sutton in the event.  What remains to be answered is why Sutton felt the sudden need to jump in the forum at the last moment.  Why didn’t her office contact Brunswick sooner? If she is so concerned about the people hearing from their representative, she might consider spending some time in the district and actually talking to her constituents instead of leaving it to her assistants.

“The Mayor and Vice Mayor, Republican and Democrat, did an outstanding job with the event. It was quick, it was informative and original in its application. Obviously considerable forethought was put into this event, and I truly believe that this debate served the interests of civil discourse, the city of Brunswick and the 13th district as a whole. My hat’s off to the Mayor and Vice Mayor for their professionalism in the face of immature antics and tantrums!” – Justin Wooden

“This simply shows a shockingly arrogant lack of respect by the Party endorsed candidates to both the City of Brunswick and the voters of the 13th Congressional District.  I am very disappointed in both.” – Jason Meade

THE EVENT – More intimidation

The forum began at 7PM with the candidate seated at the front of the room.  Two seats were left empty, one each for Sutton and Ganley.

Some at the event felt security was higher than normal for such a small program and wondered if Police were expecting a problem. The Mayor’s office dismissed this and said Police were simply expecting a larger crowd.

About an hour into the forum, a noisy group of Sutton supporters entered the room.  Each wearing a Betty Sutton campaign sticker and many wore clothing identifying themselves as union members.  The group is believed to have come from a Democrat meeting held that evening at the nearby library.

One attendee reported that only moments before the Sutton Supporters entered the room, the congresswoman’s Field Representative, Elizabeth Walters took a phone call and walked out with Mark Derrick to where the Sutton supporters would latter enter.

“[They] showed up 3/4 of the way through the evening and loudly made their way into the room, some to seats in the front row. After a few minutes, most of them left, again, noisily. A couple of them stuck around to rant to members of the crowd about healthcare or whatever their issues were. It was very, very odd!” – P Bolyard – via meetup.com

“They came in with an attitude intent on intimidating everyone there.” – Tom Fenske.

In an orchestrated move, one of the Sutton supporters, wearing a UAW jacket, emerged from the crowd and moved to the front of the room.  After a short period of standing, the man took a seat in the first row.

“He looked like he wanted a confrontation.” – Tom Fenske.*

“[He was] kind of menacing, sitting forward in his chair and shaking his head, glaring and making gagging gestures,” Steve S.

The man spent much of his time looking with hostility toward the Mayor and Vice Mayor.  At one point, Mayor Werner had to gesture to this man to keep  quiet after the man had shouted, “That’s just your opinion!” at one of the candidates.

At that time a Brunswick police officer quietly positioned himself between the man and the mayor.  While the UAW man’s actions seemed quite deliberate and intent on disrupting the event, he failed to do so.  The mayor didn’t miss a beat, and kept the forum moving smoothly to its conclusion.

Did Sutton’s staff call in these union thugs?  Did they arrive with the intent of disrupting the event?   There is certainly a resemblance to the pair of recent events where Sutton is known to have used unions to intimidate her opposition.

Connections aside, the big question remains: Where was Betty?  Why hasn’t she been able to sit down with the public in the last two years for a face-to-face meeting? The excuse of having to be in DC for legislative work, does not explain her appalling absence for the last 4 years. Nor does it explain her ability to pop into the district for a press conference earlier this week, or as keynote speaker at the 24th Ohio Employee Ownership Conference on Friday April 30 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.

Betty will not face the people in an open forum, and it is time for the congresswoman to say why.

Perhaps Jason Meade said it best, it is an “arrogant lack of respect.”

*revised 4-30-2010

For more than a year now, we have repeatedly asked Congresswoman Betty Sutton to hold a local town hall.   Our requests have always been denied since the congresswoman is kept quite busy with her work in Washington.

Being one of the fortunate residents of Ohio who still has a job, I can empathize with the congresswoman.  Work demands can be overwhelming at times.  I was pleased to learn that Sutton was able to take some time off today to rest right in Akron.  I wish she could have spent her time relaxing, but there was the matter of her hurt feelings to deal with.

Betty’s tearful address from the union hall.

ABJ 4/26/2010

”It’s not about me. It’s about every woman or girl,” Sutton said. ”It’s teaching them to scale back their dreams and not to reach too far, but stay close to the kitchen because that’s where you really belong.”

Cristeta Comerford is a sell out!

Huffington Post 4/26/2010

Last week a talented, young woman full of promise came to me with a flier her family received in the mail from the Republican Party. As she handed me the mailer, with a sense of disappointment and hurt, she pointed to a line in the flier that read, ‘Let’s take Betty Sutton out of the House and send her back to the kitchen.’

The young woman, her heart heavy, then said, “I can’t believe that this is how some people value women. And, even if they do, I can’t believe that they would feel comfortable promoting it in a flier like this.” And then, this bright, capable woman, who I know to be ready and able to do great things for our community and nation, said this: “I don’t know why I even went to college; if this is how people treat you, what’s the point?”

Betty, help me understand this.  A young woman, college educated, brings a flyer to the woman who serves as representative of the 13th congressional district of Ohio, and questioned her decision to go to college?

Am I missing something here?  I am not convinced this young woman is ready or able to handle the world, Betty.

“She (Sutton) looks like a whiner. Suck it up. You’re in politics” Gale Moss – Cool Beans Medina

Today’s news conference confirms something I have been wondering for some time now.

Is Sutton’s seat safe?  The answer is clearly, NO.  The congresswoman is slipping in the polls.  Her campaign is gasping for air as they attempt to save Sutton’s.

“Sutton should focus on creating jobs for the 13th district, not “fake outrage.”  – Ganley campaign

On the bright side, if she’s here, she cannot be in Washington!

What is Sutton doing to help OH-13?  Good question.

Ohio’s unemployment rate is up again.  We are now at 11 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The number of workers reported as unemployed in Ohio in March was 655,000, up from 648,000 in February. The number of unemployed has increased by 77,000 in the past 12 months from 578,000. The March unemployment rate for Ohio was up from 9.6 percent in March 2009.

Just a few short days ago we were reminded of the staggering problems facing the city of  Barberton, Sutton’s home town.  Now we see that the situation isn’t much better for the rest of us.

What is Sutton’s plan? Simple, tax and spend and tax and spend.

The more Betty does to help OH-13, the worse things seem to get.  She talks about saving and creating jobs, but Ohio’s jobs continue to disappear.

Betty, we’ve had enough help for now.  Please stop.

Beat It Betty - Goooh.com

The folks at Goooh are having a little fun with a very serious issue.  If you are not familiar with the Goooh project you should check it out.

If you are tired of career politicians, GOOOH is for you. If you believe money has corrupted Washington, GOOOH is for you. If you believe politicians have too much power, GOOOH is for you. If you are weary of the death grip the two parties have on our government, and are ready to return control of our government to the people, then GOOOH is for you.

Visit the Goooh website for more information on their plans to get Congresswoman Sutton and her comrades out of the house.

Betty's Magic - 14.7% unemployment!

Betty’s hometown is suffering more than most in the 13th district.  With Barberton’s unemployment rate approaching 15%, (as high as 31% among low income residents) one has to wonder what all the hope and change has done for this once prosperous community.

Announcements of free money for the district pour out of Sutton’s office, but where is the relief for Barberton?  What is Betty’s plan for the people of this city?

It has become painfully obvious that the representative has no effective plan to help Barberton, or any of the struggling communities in OH-13.  The best we can expect is more smoke and mirrors as Sutton avoids the real problems of excessive taxation, and irresponsible spending.

The following editorial was published in the Barberton Herald.

Somebody in the mainstream media forgot to tell the State of Ohio and the City of Barberton that our economy has “turned the corner” during this Great Recession. We have learned this week that the unemployment rate in Ohio now stands at 11% with no end in sight and the unemployment rate in Barberton is a staggering 14.7% (highest in Summit County and Ohio) with no real plan at any level of government on how to bring jobs to this area.

Worse still are the unemployment rates for those Americans in the low income bracket ($15,000/year or less) which at the end of 2009 was almost 31%. That’s more than five points higher than the overall jobless rate at the height of the Great Depression. This income group makes up a substantial portion of the city’s population, as according to City-Data.com, over 72% of all renters in the City of Barberton live at or below the poverty line.

According to Ray Scheppach, who is the executive director of the National Governors Association, the dire situation that many states find themselves in is “almost unprecedented”. The questions everyone should be asking is: Where have all our political leaders gone? Where are the jobs?

“Hope and Change” has come to our community. Unfortunately “Hope” is not a plan and “Change” has come in the form of the worst financial crisis in the history of Barberton. The time has come to look from within us and our fellow citizens (We the People) to find answers to our dilemma since our elected officials have so far let us down. And just maybe, our children and grandchildren can say, as Winston Churchill did in 1940 during another crisis of historic proportions, “This was their finest hour”

Dave Conner

Part 1 -Smoke

As the final vote on health reform neared, many Americans found themselves compelled to make one last expression of dissent. Throughout the nation, citizens gathered at the doorsteps of their elected representatives to demand an end to the reform efforts.  Residents of OH-13 were no exception.  On March 19th many of these concerned citizens peacefully assembled for a planned summit912 rally outside Congresswoman Betty Sutton’s Akron office.

Nearly 30 Betty Sutton supporters met the protesters at the corner of Market and Main.  According to sources at the scene, the Sutton supporters were in attendance at the request of the congresswoman’s office. To counter the efforts of the summit912 crowd, Betty Sutton had arranged for what could best be described as a rent-a-mob.

Upon their arrival, individuals from inside Sutton’s office greeted the Sutton supporters.  Each was given a professionally printed sign and yellow t-shirt.  Some of the shirts displayed CWA (Communications Workers of America) logo, but most were marked as IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters). The IAFF shirts as well as the provided signs read, “Fire Fighters for Sutton”.

Were these counter-protesters actual members of the CWA, IAFF or even fire fighters for that matter?  Not according to sources that spoke with them.  The Sutton supporters were actually members of Laborers Local Union No 894.  Sutton’s representatives had provided the shirts and signs in an effort to mislead any press covering the event into believing the IAFF and CWA unions were present.

Sutton’s use of the IAFF logo and “Fire Fighters for Sutton” signs implies that the IAFF and individual fire fighters had in some way sanctioned her actions.  Did the IAFF agree to allow non-members to represent their union that day?  If so, it was done at the expense of their own credibility.

Understanding how Sutton is able to get away with such actions becomes clear when we look at what took place just a few weeks later.

Part 2 – Fire

In a series of recently leaked emails, we can see that intimidation is part of Sutton’s political playbook.  Through bullying and deception she works hand in hand with union leadership to silence individuals.

On April 1, notices were posted on several blogs announcing a campaign event for Sutton’s primary challenger, Justin Wooden. Wooden’s supporters planned to canvas neighborhoods on Barberton’s Southwest side to distribute literature on behalf of their candidate.

After learning that one or more of Wooden’s supporters were Barberton fire fighters, Nichole Francis Reynolds, Congresswoman Sutton’s Chief of Staff, started in motion a series of events aimed at the intimidation of individual fire fighters throughout the 13th district.

In an email dated April 1, Nichole sent the following message to David Billy – IAFF Political Director, Mark Sanders – Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters (OAPFF) President, and Mark Horton – OAPFF Secretary/Treasurer.

From: Nichole Francis <nicholefrancis@msn.com>
To: dbilly@iaff.org <dbilly@iaff.org>; msandl48@aol.com <msandl48@aol.com>; mdh474@aol.com <mdh474@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 8:35 pm
Subject: Fw: Fwd: BARBERTON flyer distribution, friday, 4:30-7:30PM, FRIDAY,APRIL 2ND

David, Mark and Mark,
Hope that you all are doing well. Please see this information below that was sent out by Justin Wooden’s campaign manager today. Wanted to make sure that you know that firefighters are supposed to be involved in this. I can’t believe that the president of the union in Barberton would support this.  Can you please arrange to have some firefighters out there with their tshirts on that display “firefighters” for sutton?

Please advise.
Thanks,
Nichole

In this email Reynolds requests the same shirts that were used at the Akron protest weeks earlier. She also calls on the union heads to take action to specifically silence citizens of the 13th district. This was the same scheme used on March 19^th in Akron.

Given the IAFF’s official endorsement philosophy, we would have expected the request to hit a dead end at their door.

http://www.iaff.org/politics/FIREPAC/endorsementpolicy.html

The IAFF believes that every IAFF member has an absolute right to vote for the candidate that he or she feels best represents and embraces that individual’s views and political philosophy. No one, including your union, has a right to tell you how to vote.

In any union, association or even political party, when an organization endorses a particular candidate or a specific position on any issue, not everyone who is a member is in agreement. People are entitled to disagree and express their own opinions.

Politics within the IAFF is an issue of mutual respect. The IAFF respects its members’ right to vote for whomever they choose.  Please respect the IAFF’s right to endorse candidates, regardless of party, who have demonstrated their support for the IAFF and professional fire fighters. The IAFF also respects the right of state associations and individual affiliates to endorse the candidate that they believe best represents the views of their membership at the state and local level.

That dead end never came.  Instead, as Nicole had asked, the issue was pushed forward when Mark Sanders – OAPFF President sent the following message to Andy Drwal – OAPFF Region 2 VP (Lorain 2nd Ward Councilman) and Mark Horton OAPFF Secretary/Treasurer.

From: msandl48@aol.com
To: oapff2@roadrunner.com ; mdh474@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 9:44 PM
Subject: Fwd: BARBERTON flyer distribution, friday, 4:30-7:30PM, FRIDAY,APRIL 2ND

WTF.
If this is a rouge FF then we need to get all of our OAPFF Betty Sutton supporters out to neutralize this.
Call me asap.
mark

The OAPFF President called for the organization to send out supporters to neutralize their fellow union members. What exactly was meant by neutralize? Given the tone of his email, it can be reasonably taken as a threat against any local fire fighter opposing Sutton.  What happened to the IAFF’s respect for a members’ right to vote for whomever they choose?

*This series of emails ultimately led to the cancellation of the April 2 Wooden campaign event.

The events of March 19th, and those of April 1st, highlight a dangerous connection between Betty Sutton and union leadership.  This type of relationship cannot be tolerated from our elected officials. The congresswoman cannot encourage actions that pressure or threaten citizens into submission and expect to get a pass.

I urge the IAFF to distance themselves from Sutton and her representatives.  Continued support of Congresswoman Betty Sutton threatens to erode the credibility of your otherwise honorable association of heroes.

* updated

Economic Outlook Unnerving as the Democrats Continue their Job-Killing Campaign

Washington- After weathering the rough economic storm over the past year and with unemployment at an abysmal 9.7 percent, Ohio families are desperate for economic recovery. Rather than working to create jobs and providing relief to struggling middle-class families, Betty Sutton continues to green-light billions in wasteful spending only to stimulate big-government growth at the expense of private sector jobs. Less than two weeks ago, Sutton rubber-stamped a job-killing healthcare takeover that is so politically toxic it has Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Van Hollen predicting “stormy waters” ahead for Democrats.

“’Rep. Chris Van Hollen is seeking both to calm and unify his party as it enters what he calls ‘dangerous waters ahead.’

“With healthcare reform now law, Democratic leaders are shifting into a new phase, reassuring and advising nervous members who have huge targets on their backs.” (Aaron Blake, “Van Hollen warns of ‘dangerous waters,’” The Hill, 3/31/2010)

The Democrats’ job-killing healthcare bill will not only force companies to lay off employees, but will come at a huge financial cost as well:

“Boeing Co. will take a charge of $150 million due to the recent health care overhaul legislation, the aircraft maker said Wednesday. The charge will hurt earnings by 20 cents per share in the first quarter of 2010. In 2013 Boeing will no longer be able to claim an income tax deduction related to certain prescription drug benefits for retirees.” (“Boeing to take charge on health care reform,” Associated Press, 3/31/10)

“On top of AT&T’s $1 billion, the writedown wave so far includes Deere & Co., $150 million; Caterpillar, $100 million; AK Steel, $31 million; 3M, $90 million; and Valero Energy, up to $20 million. Verizon has also warned its employees about its new higher health-care costs, and there will be many more in the coming days and weeks.” (“The ObamaCare Writedowns,” Wall Street Journal, 3/27/2010)

“The effects of this portion of the health care bill have concerned several of the 35,000 people employed in the lending industry. Phillip Walsh, a senior director at Sallie Mae’s office in Fishers, said the company will lose approximately 2,500 of its 8,500 jobs.” (Holly Heerdink, “Loan providers forced to cut employees,” Indiana Daily Student, 3/25/2010)

Much to the dismay of Ohio families, the few jobs that have been produced since Democrats took control of the White House and Congress have been government jobs with looming expiration dates:

“The ADP survey tallies only private-sector jobs, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ nonfarm payroll data, to be released Friday, include government workers. The addition of workers for the 2010 census is expected to lift federal government payrolls.” (Kathleen Madigan, “Private Payrolls Drop,” Wall Street Journal, 3/31/2010)

“Also, the help from census hiring is a temporary boost, at best. Most census workers will only be employed for a matter of months.” (Ian Swanson, “Positive March jobs figures to bolster Obama, but horizon cloudy,” Politico, 3/30/2010)

While middle-class families in Ohio continue to look for economic recovery on the horizon, Betty Sutton has been busy rubber-stamping a job-killing agenda in Washington,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “By supporting her party’s agenda of higher taxes, fewer jobs, and bigger government, Sutton is on the hook for the country’s 9.7 percent unemployment rate.  After repeatedly neglecting economic solutions in favor of partisan politics, Sutton may have already guaranteed her own unemployment when voters go to the polls on Election Day.”

nrcc.org

Is Betty Sutton The Money Tree?

Our elected representative, Congresswoman Betty Sue Sutton, has been tough to find since the election of 2008.  Perhaps it is because of all the hard work she is doing to save jobs in Ohio’s thirteenth congressional district.  Maybe it is because of all the time she spends reading each and every bill.  Whatever the reason, Sutton should make time to answer a few question.

In the last few months, announcements on the congresswoman’s official website have been coming fast and furious.  Many of these announcements deal with grant money being awarded to organizations within the district.  A read of the headlines on her website makes the her look like the proverbial money tree.

• Rep. Sutton Announces $172 Million for Housing Assistance in Ohio
• Rep. Sutton Announces $3,726,855 SAFER Grant for Elyria Fire Department
• Rep. Sutton Announces $25,878 for the Coventry Township Fire Department
• Rep. Sutton Announces Regional Transit Funding for Northeast Ohio
• Rep. Sutton Announces $45,695 for the Valley City/Liverpool Township Fire Department

Strangely absent from each announcement is mention of the people who tirelessly work to secure these dollars. Sutton is quick to suggest her own hand in the efforts by publishing the announcements, but how much work did she really do?

If the representative had a major role in securing these grant dollars, then I am left wondering why she is playing favorites among organizations within the district.  Furthermore, if Sutton had a major role in securing these grants, why is the federal grant process not based solely on the merit of the applicants?  Are we really handing out tax dollars because the representative likes organization X more than Y and Z?

On the other hand, if the representative had little or nothing to do with the grants, then I must ask why she publishes these announcements on her official website in a way that implies her involvement.  Is our representative attempting to pass off the work of others as her own?

You can expect more on this topic.

Just imagine, we might actually see our representative in the district.

What do you say, Betty?

BringHomeThePoliticians.com